Meaning of CONFLICT

Pronunciation:

[n]'kânflikt, [v]`kân'flikt

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WordNet Dictionary

Definition:

[n] a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war; "Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga"; "he lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement"

[n] an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); "the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph"--Thomas Paine; "police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs"

[n] an incompatibility of dates or events; "he noticed a conflict in the dates of the two meetings"

[n] a disagreement or argument about something important; "he had a dispute with his wife"; "there were irreconcilable differences"; "the familiar conflict between Republicans and Democrats"

[n] opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings; "he was immobilized by conflict and indecision"

[n] opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot); "this form of conflict is essential to Mann's writing"

[n] a state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests; "his conflict of interest made him ineligible for the post"; "a conflict of loyalties"

[v] go against, as of rules and laws; "He ran afould of the law"; "This behavior conflicts with our rules"

\Con"flict\, n. [L. conflictus a striking together, fr.
confligere, -flictum, to strike together, to fight: cf. F.
conflit, formerly also conflict. See {Conflict}, v.]
1. A striking or dashing together; violent collision; as, a
conflict of elements or waves.
2. A strife for the mastery; hostile contest; battle;
struggle; fighting.
As soon as he [Atterbury] was himself again, he
became eager for action and conflict. --Macaulay.
An irrepressible conflict between opposing and
enduring forces. --W. H.
Seward.
{Conflict of laws}, that branch of jurisprudence which deals
with individual litigation claimed to be subject to the
conflicting laws of two or more states or nations; --
often used as synonymous with {Private international law}.
Syn: Contest; collision; struggle; combat; strife;
contention; battle; fight; encounter. See {Contest}.

\Con*flict"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Conflicted}; p. pr.
& vb. n. {Conflicting}.] [L. conflictus, p. p. of confligere
to conflict (cf. conflictare); con- + fligere to strike; cf.
Gr. fli`bein, qli`bein, to press, L. flagrum whip.]
1. To strike or dash together; to meet in violent collision;
to collide. --Shak.
Fire and water conflicting together. --Bacon.
2. To maintain a conflict; to contend; to engage in strife or
opposition; to struggle.
A man would be content to . . . conflict with great
difficulties, in hopes of a mighty reward. --Abp.
Tillotson.
3. To be in opposition; to be contradictory.
The laws of the United States and of the individual
States may, in some cases, conflict with each other.
--Wheaton.
Syn: To fight; contend; contest; resist; struggle; combat;
strive; battle.

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Glossary

Definition:

in its political manifestation, conflict exacts an ever-increasing toll in human lives and misery.